World of Warcraft creator Blizzard Entertainment has ended its 14-year licensing deal with Chinese gaming company NetEase, after disagreements over intellectual property and data-control.

This means the likes of World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and Diablo III won’t be distributed in China after the deal ends in late January.

Blizzard, a subsidiary of Activision Blizzard, who is currently the subject of an A$103 billion buyout from Microsoft, did not comment on the details of the split, other than to say it couldn’t reach a deal that is “consistent with Blizzard’s operating principles and commitments to players and employees.”

NetEase stock slid 14 per cent after the announcement. The Hong Kong listed company said it had “put in a great deal of effort and tried with our utmost sincerity to negotiate with Activision Blizzard so that we could continue our collaboration and serve the many dedicated players in China.

“However, there were material differences on key terms and we could not reach an agreement.”